Can Dogs Eat Rib Bones?

There has been a lot of disagreement over whether dogs can eat rib bones. I know that I’ve definitely given my dog some bones over the years. Although rib bones aren’t bad for dogs from a nutritional standpoint, experts don’t recommend giving beef or pork rib bones to dogs because they pose a serious choking risk. Instead, your dog can have bones that don’t splinter or fragment into sharp pieces when chewed on. This means dogs can’t eat any pork, beef or chicken bones. In fact, dogs also should not eat any cooked bones including prime rib and baby back rib.

Ribs may be delicious, and your dogs might love them, but they’re definitely on the naughty list of treats that you should avoid giving to your dogs. Read on to learn why dog’s shouldn’t have or chew on rib bones of any kind.

Rib Bones Are A Potential Choking Hazard

Rib bones are unsafe for dogs because they can easily choke on them. These bones have a tendency to splinter when dogs chew on them making them into sharp, mini spears. Not only can your dogs choke on the splinters, the sharp points can do some serious internal damage. The bone fragments can easily get stuck in your dog’s throat, and block off the airways so your dogs can’t breathe.

If this happens, you need to seek immediate, emergency veterinary treatment. The sharp fragments can also puncture your dogs’ mouths, tongues, stomachs, and intestines.

The Sauces Can Be Dangerous

Ribs are usually seasoned with barbecue sauce and/or other spices. This isn’t healthy for dogs because most barbecue sauces are high in sugar and carbohydrates. Eating too much barbecue sauce can increase your dog’s risk of developing obesity, which in turn, can cause pancreatitis, a very serious health condition.

In addition, the other spices used might contain ingredients that are not only bad for your dogs but actually very toxic for them. For instance, you should never give ribs seasoned with onion or garlic powder. These other seasonings may also be high in salt and sugar, which are unhealthy for dogs as well.

So, no matter how much they beg, you should always avoid giving your dogs your leftover baby back rib bones!

Ribs Are Too Fatty

Ribs tend to be fatty and these fats aren’t just found in the rib meat. The sauces can contain a lot of fat themselves. Dogs do need to have a certain amount of healthy fats in their diets, but they get these fats from their regular dog food, and they do not need any extra.

The fats in ribs are unhealthy, trans fats, and your dogs definitely do not need to be consuming extra fat which can lead to obesity and health problems.

No, Dogs Can’t Eat Rib Bones

There are plenty of treats that are safe and healthy for dogs. Unfortunately, rib bones aren’t one of them. Although they’re tasty and dogs seem to enjoy chewing on them, rib bones can cause serious health issues, many of which require emergency medical treatment. Alternatively, you can give your dogs rib meat but make sure it’s unseasoned without any sauce.